How far is too far to go for millions of dollars? Thanks to the teaser for Squid Game: The Challenge, viewers are soon to get an answer.
First announced in June 2022, the reality TV gameshow is set to copy the fictional Netflix hit of the same name – only without the mass deaths.
The smash-hit drama series Squid Game follows a group of desperate and poor people from all backgrounds and ages who are invited to participate in a game with a top prize of 45.6 billion Won (around $35 million). When the games begin, the players realize that those who are eliminated are actually killed.
Hopefully, this isn’t an outcome that the streaming platform has in mind, but from the looks of it, there’s certainly a lot of money up for grabs.
Netflix promises reality TV show history with Squid Game: The Challenge teaser
The first teaser for Netflix’s upcoming reality TV show Squid Game: The Challenge has now dropped – and it’s all to play for.
The 60-second clip shows exactly the same starting room that fans are greeted with in the original Squid Game drama, including the big transparent sphere of cash hanging above the heads of the contestants.
Masked Squid Game enforcers also stay the same, sporting shapes on their masks as well as the infamous red all-in-one hooded suits.
What is slightly different is the cash prize, with the teaser suggesting that the prize fund is $4.56 million to match the 456 players. In the original series, the prize fund equated to around $35 million – although the chances of getting their hands on it were much less likely. The current cash prize also makes it the biggest in reality TV show history.
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Viewers also see a few glimpses of the games that are to come, including players jumping onto fake glass, an elaborate banquet table in the shape of a triangle, and the infamous killer doll feature in the first-ever round of Squid Game. Contestants also sport the signature green tracksuits seen in the original series.
Fans have mixed views about Squid Game: The Challenge teaser
Though the original Squid Game series was met with almost unanimous praise, the jury is still out on the reality TV show equivalent.
456 real people.4.56 million dollars.Squid Game: The Challenge begins 22 November, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/uUie6N1Tqu
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) September 22, 2023
“Stop watering good stuff down for money. This is so lazy,” one user tweeted, with another commenting, “Mr. Beast did it like 3 weeks after the show came out but it took Netflix 2 years?”
“Why not spend the money on season 2? It has been 2 years since season 1 and broadcast TV used to churn out 22 episodes of long-running and great dramas like House MD,” one viewer speculated about the teaser release.
But others are clearly ready for the hype, with one stating, “4.56 MILLION HOLY SH**,” and another writing, “Bring. It. On.”
Squid Game: The Challenge releases on Netflix on November 22, 2023. In the meantime, check out our other TV hubs below:
Severance Season 2 | Invincible Season 2 | The Boys Season 4 | Stranger Things Season 5 | Rick and Morty Season 7